First Commuter Rail Service To The Area in 65 Years
Passengers planning to hop aboard the new MBTA commuter rail expansion to the state’s South Coast will not need to pay during the first five weekends.
The T and Gov. Maura Healey said service and parking for South Coast Rail will be free on weekends between the March 24 start of service and the end of April. Weekday riders will pay for parking at stations along the extension and for fares, which will be $12.25 for a one-way trip from any South Coast Rail stop to Boston.
Officials pitched the five weeks of free weekend service as a way to attract riders to the new offering, which they described as the first commuter rail service in the region in 65 years.
“This will make it easier for South Coast residents and visitors to move around the state, reduce congestion, support local businesses and spur new housing and economic development,” said Gov. Maura Healey.
The free weekend promotion will extend to the Patriots Day holiday on Monday, April 21.
Years in the making, the $1.1 billion project’s first phase will bring online about 36 miles of tracks with stations in Middleborough, East Taunton, Freetown, Fall River and New Bedford — in the process ensuring that all major cities within 50 miles of Boston have commuter rail access to the capital.
Subsequent construction is aimed at extending the Stoughton Line southward to Easton, Raynham and Taunton before connecting with the Fall River and New Bedford Lines.
